Nov 10, 20239 min read

Frozen-Oop

Lets have some fun with a lil two for one special. Hoops times Puck. There is a slew of headlines on both the ice and the hardwood- who says worlds can't collide? Only I will deliver you a frozen-oop of sports journalism. Spittin' Cap is different, no cap!

Both leagues are bringing the noise. November is always a stellar month of action as the seasons start to really set a pace and find a foundation. The hardwood has been red hot as it saw it's first taste of the in-season tourney last weekend with more to feed the appetite this weekend; formed an interesting top ten in the rankings; and had a few superstar performances to sprinkle on a highlight filled week. That same noise rang off the ice. The Sharks avoided some nasty history; Nikita Kucherov and Auston Matthews are back to shreddin' defenses; and the Canucks & Rangers climb to the highest tier to join the Bruins and Knights. Yeah, the flames are ablaze. My agenda today is quite simple: we have squads making strong first impressions and players that are shinin' under the radar. Time to run the gauntlet... two for one style.

Cole Caufield; Jalen Johnson; and Jesper Bratt

Everyone gives cred to the Embiids; the Doncics; and the Matthews', but there is always several players that seem to have the ghost perk activated to make them go unseen on the UAV radar. I have three young cats to credit. I have that thermal vision scope, these guys can't hide, not when they are producing at a high clip for their squads.

LW Jesper Bratt - New Jersey Devils

Devils' Left winger Jesper Bratt has been a beast to start the campaign. Bratt has arguably been the best player in the entire league on the power-play. Bratt leads the league in power-play assists (10) and total power-play points (14) to elevate the Devils to the best power-play in the league ranking first in percentage and goals on the PP. Bratt has been money this season as he formed a power-duo (no pun) with center Jack Hughes. Bratt's production is more valuable than ever in the coming week as Hughes is on the short-term shelf with a shoulder injury (game-to-game).

Bratt has been a problem on the power-play, but his production has gone across all layers. He is tied 6th with Auston Matthews in total points, and has been massively accurate with his shot as he is shooting at one of the highest clips with a 26.9 shot percentage- the third highest in the league of skaters with 25 plus shots attempted. I love what he is doing on the ice right now and so does the Devils' faithful. As I mentioned, they will look to rely on Bratt's production as they await Jack Hughes to heal from that tough hit to the boards that aggravated his shoulder.

RW Cole Caufield - Montreal Canadiens

Big shot Cole! Montreal's winger Cole Caufield has made some giant shots for the Habs as he is turning into their special spark in the early shade of the season. The young cat is rising and elevating as a scorer... especially in overtimes of nail bittin' games. Caufield currently is tied atop the NHL in game-winnin' goals with three OT winners. Check out his beautiful top shelfer that daggered their Atlantic division rival Red Wings:

video via Scott Matla//X

Young cat has some mad puck skills. I have enjoyed watching his game to start the season. Not only is he producing in monumental ways in overtime, but he produces on the power-play as well. Caufield's got 7 of his 13 points on the man advantage for the Habs, being a golden find for Nick Suzuki and Sean Monahan. The way they orchestrate the offense in OT and as a power-play unit is some of the best work in the league. Montreal should be real pleased with their solid trio of Suzuki-Caufield-Monahan.

Caufield is showin' to be a difference maker when he is producing and finding the net. Montreal is 4-1 in the games he scores a goal, with three of them being won by the end of his stick. He leads the team in assists and points while havin' a strong plus/minus. When Cole isn't producing, the Habs aren't winning. Telling sign. Canadiens need his production to keep growin' as they are sure to be in a fist fight across a competitive Atlantic division.

SF Jalen Johnson - Atlanta Hawks

Hawks love to soar! Jalen Johnson has been a highlight reel for the Hawks to start the season as he is all over the floor using versatility; hops; and rim shakers to progress himself into a valuable piece to the Hawks early success as they sit atop the Southeast division.

Johnson ranks 7th in the NBA right now with 16 dunks. He has been electric on the fast break and in bursting through holes of a defense. His game has been fun to watch and his production has been vile to the Hawks' rotation and the team's success early on. Rather it's the highlight plays; the fast pace versatility; or the high clip of shootin' the rock, JJ has been makin' moves and flyin' high for Atlanta (literally). Johnson is performing on both ends of the ball. Watch him be a force on the defensive end; use the fast break to exploit a hole in the defense; and then finish with a jam:

video via Bally Sports: Hawks//X

Johnson has a block or steal in 6 of his 8 games played, including several games with multiple forced turnovers. He is top ten in field goal percentage shooting 59.8% from the field. JJ still needs to gain consistency at the free-throw line and gain consistency all around to take the next step forward- but he is a great fit for this Hawks team and his play is provin' it. The forward pairing of Hunter and Johnson is interesting. I have been ridin' a tetter totter lately on if I think that pairing will work with the Hawks starting rotation. Atlanta is 4-1 when starting the rotation of Young-Murray-Hunter-Johnson-Capela- without a doubt the best rotation. We will see if Hunter and Johnson are the pairing they want to roll with long-term at forward. The similarities in prototype and frame raise the question- if anything you trade Hunter in effort to maximize the rotation. I like what the Hawks or doing right now, lets see how it goes. Enjoy this badass angle of poetry in motion off the Trae Young and Jalen Johnson connection:

video via NBA//X

Timberwolves; Canucks; and Pacers start strong

The successful starts to the season for the Nuggets; Bruins; and Golden Knights were figured. We got some squads that want to join their tier, squads we didn't really expect to be there right away. First impressions go a long way, these three squads have quite the impressions to start the season and want to be noticed.

Vancouver Canucks - 10-2-1

The Canucks might just be my favorite team rollin' right now among the active three of the Big-4. I know I still have the Knights and Bruins over them in the NHL power rankings, but that might just change as the Canucks seriously are playin' like the best team in all of hockey. They aren't just winnin', they are winnin' dominantly.

Canucks rank among the top in damn near every team statistic category. What blows my mind: they have scored the most goals in the league, ranking 25th in total shots- their league leading shot percentage of 16.1% is followed by the Kings at 12.6%! Just unreal. Here are the notable ranks by the Canucks thus far:

Vancouver Canucks playing like a top team in the NHL

That graphic doesn't include them being ranked second in the league in save percentage. Thatcher Demko has been straight money in the net as he is backed up by arguably the top defensive pairings in the league. Thatch has seven dubs; ranks second in goals allowed a game; and ranks third in save percentage to go with his two shutouts. The defense, ya ask? Well they have four cats in the top 18 in plus/minus with captain Quinn Hughes (+17) and Filip Hronek (+13) being top 2 in the league. Those two have a combined 30 assists with 13 of them coming on the power-play. For a squad to be first in goals scored and second in goals allowed is wildly impressive. This whole team is impressive night in and night out as they ride the hottest winnin' streak in the league right now at five.

Canucks might have the best 1-2 punch in the league with their first and second lines (+ D-pairings). That same thing can be said about their top power-play unit. Elias Pettersson is on anotha level right now for line one, dishin' the puck and creatin' scoring opportunities at will. Then we have J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser being straight savages on the second line. Vancouver is on a different level, a level they hope to bring to the highest tier to join Vegas and Boston.

I am PUMPED for the bout on the 30th between the Knights and Canucks for a fight atop the Pacific. It will be the first meeting between the two this year, and can be a big time opportunity for one of these squads to take early season potency. The Canucks are clickin' on ALL cylinders as we roll into November; and I don't expect them to slow down anytime soon.

Indiana Pacers - 6-3

The Pacers started their campaign off with a solid 2-0 start before facing a punishing right hook with two straight L's that included an embarrassing 49 point loss to the Celtics. They since have been able to turn things back around before haywire, as they have won 4 of their last 5 games with the L being a 1-point loss to the Hornets. The dubs include solid Eastern Conference wins over the Bucks and Cavaliers. Despite facing ups and downs; I like what the Pacers have cookin' to open the campaign.

The backcourt duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin is straight moolah. Haliburton is playin' like a top guard in the league right now, and was a huge absence in that embarrassing loss to the Celtics. Haliburton leads the league in assists per game (11.6), which is a big part of the pie in the Pacers leadin' the league in assists per game (30.7). Haliburton ranks 6th in player efficiency rating as he has elevated the offense along with Mathurin. Double zeroes doesn't blow you away on the box scores, but he has been playin' solid all around basketball posting a plus/minus of 14 or better in four games. His rebounding has been stellar in November, something the Pacers hope will continue.

The Pacers have yet to prove they can be consistent winners, they look to prove it by building off their current three game winning streak. Haliburton is givin' them must watch tv type of production and the big-man duo of Jalen Smith and Myles Turner is one that can be highly productive as the season progresses. The team leading the league in points per game and assists per game speaks volumes. They rank second in the league in field-goal percentage and rank fourth in three-point percentage. Shootin' at a high clip and puttin' up the most points? That will be a winnin' recipe. Continuing to be top 5 in forced turnovers will too when they have a guy like Haliburton who can spread the floor and hurt teams on the fast-break.

Indiana just needs to tighten up on defense and get better in the rebound game. They rank 26th in points allowed- that needs to change. They have all the capability in the world to be a top Eastern Conference team. Tighten up on defense; rebound better; and reduce the personal fouls. They fix those three and keep shootin' the way they are- then skies the limit.

Minnesota Timberwolves - 5-2

The Timberwolves are the hottest squad on the hardwood to start November. They start the month 4-0 with wins over the Celtics; Nuggets; and Pelicans. Anthony Edwards has turned it up a notch on the offensive as Rudy Gobert has been a game-wrecker on the defensive and in the rebound game. The T-Wolves have a 5-0 undefeated record at home and are 3-0 against the Western Conference. Now that's a good start.

Minnesota starts off top 5 in rebounding and have shot efficient from the field ranking in the top 10 in shooting percentage. They are pullin' away in games as they enjoy winnin' by a wide margin posting the third best point differential in the league. Not a team that screams off paper, but this team can go places with Anthony Edwards playin' at a high level and the forwards playin' exceptional on the glass and in the trenches. Edwards can explode for a highlight play at any moment in the game, which elevates the crowd and his teammates. Maybe a reason why Minny is 5-0 at home... the dude ANT is a gamebreaker. Watch Edwards get his gamebreaker bar maxed out to activate a monstar windmill:

video via Bleacher Report//X

Minnesota has a tough slate of Western Conference foes on the schedj with the Spurs; Warriors (back-to-back); Pelicans; and Suns lined up. Lets see if they can keep that conference record stand with a goose egg. It will be a telling month, we will know if the Timberwolves are legit by the end of it. Ridin' a four game win streak and havin' ANT playin' like a superstar might just place the T-Wolves in that next tier. Time to find out!

Frozen-Oop with some Shawn Kemp flare, cha heard. I love it. We have a noise packed weekend of action on the hardwood and ice that carries over to another solid week of the same. Standings will flip. Teams will streak and coaster off. Just the name of the game! We just are here for the ride.

This piece covers my Hoop-Scoop for the week- I will drop the newest NBA Power Rankings to close it up. It's so early, those rankings will flop again. I will say, the top ten has some foundation. I expect those teams to start building their journey with limited downward movement. The teens and 20s will be a constant flip. Lets enjoy another weekend of sports noise!